July 23, 2018

Are You A Hypocrite?

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

‘These people honor me with their lips,

But their hearts are far from me.

They worship me in vain;

Their teachings are merely human rules.’

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” – Mark 7:6-8

It’s the hypocrisy that bothers me the most. It’s not about politics or whether someone is a Democrat or Republican. That’s irrelevant to someone whose citizenship is in heaven.

I have trouble understanding how someone can proclaim Jesus Christ with one breath and in another defend someone who publicly lies on an almost daily basis. How can he be from God when he ignores God’s laws? How can he serve a Risen Savior when he has yet to repent for past wrongs. Indeed, he doesn’t seem bothered by them at all.

Most of the time I remain silent. There is no discussion with those who strongly support our President. Their anger and belligerence astounds me. Whatever happened to honest debate? Whatever happened to civil discussions? Neither seem to exist anymore.

I have never liked Donald Trump. It’s not personal because I have never met the man. I just don’t care for high-profile playboys who flaunt their transgressions and condemn anyone who disagrees with them. I suppose that’s also why I don’t watch a lot of reality television.

I was amazed at how he played his role and ousted some good candidates on his road to the presidency. He is smart. He is also manipulative. It has served him well in the public arena.

What breaks my heart is how quickly Christians make excuses for him. We continue to bring up his opponent, though he became president long ago. His opponent is irrelevant when it comes to his behavior. We aren’t judged on the behavior of others but, rather, on our own behavior.

Are lies okay if you think he’s benefiting you in the area of business? Is deception okay if you think he’s making our country stronger in the military arena? Are degrading comments about women, bully tactics designed to keep opponents silent, and hateful commentary against anyone who isn’t “like” us okay? Apparently with some Christians it is.

We wonder why so many people are turning away from Jesus. We wonder why so many look down on Christians. We are so busy pointing fingers and defending someone whose actions we should condemn that we miss the point. We miss Jesus.

That’s what the world sees. They see a bunch of hypocrites where Jesus should be evident. Maybe we need to look deep inside. Maybe we need to make sure He’s really there.

June 21, 2018

What Does Your Heart Say?

“Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” – Mark 7:15

“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

– Mark 7:21-23

What would you do to save your child’s life? Would you move? Would you scrape together all the money you could to afford something different? Would you break laws, take chances, risk everything, so your child could be safe?

Be honest. It’s just between you and God. Tell Him what you would do to save your child from death, torture, a life of crime and violence. Now tell parents from another country that they shouldn’t dare do that for their children.

The immigration issue in the United States is awful. There are no easy answers. Should our country protect its borders? Absolutely. Should people enter legally rather than violating our laws? Without a doubt.

Unfortunately, there’s more to the story. These are human beings with thoughts and feelings. They are people who, in many cases, are filled with fear and a desperation few can understand.

According to news reports, the average time for a person to come before an immigration judge is two years from the time of application. That works great if you’ve got the time. But what happens when the cartel tells your child that he now works for them and if he says no he will die? Do you hang around and wait for his death? Do you tell him to join hands with a life of violence? Or do you flee with a hope deep in your heart that God wants something better for your family?

I don’t have any answers for our country. No one seems to be able to solve this mess. Maybe we should start with being Jesus to people who are hurting. Maybe we should extend mercy and grace and compassion to people who are desperate. Maybe we should love before we judge stories we’ve never heard.

We are further traumatizing children who have been through so much. Can you imagine what it’s like to leave everything you know, fearing for your life, not knowing when you will eat or have clean clothes, only to reach safety and find yourself ripped apart from your parents? How can we call that okay?

Some argue that we’re trying to keep murderers and rapists and other violent criminals from our country. That’s obviously a good thing. But how many fit that description? Really. It’s far more likely that most of the people are good, decent folks. They aren’t criminals. They’re desperate people reaching for our crumbs and we are denying them without even trying to understand.

Maybe we need to expedite the immigration process. How many judges does it take to reduce the two-year wait? Yes, it costs money. But how much money are we spending on housing people in locked facilities? Isn’t it better to hear their cases and make decisions based on facts?

There is just so much hate in our country right now. Much of it comes from people who claim to know Jesus. I am appalled at the venom spewing from their mouths. Surely, they understand what the Bible says about love, about judgement, about mercy. But their lives don’t reflect it. Their words don’t reveal love.

Jesus says that evil comes from our hearts. What is your heart saying to the world?

January 7, 2018

Hypocrisy

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” – Mark 7:6-8

I cannot abide a hypocrite. They push my buttons every time. I struggle to be kind, compassionate, forgiving. Do not speak from both sides of your mouth, as the cliché goes.

I know. There are times when others must look at me and see hypocrisy. It is so easy to preach and not so easy to live. As the apostle Paul says in Romans 7: Why do I do the thing I know I shouldn’t do.

That said, I am trying to live an authentic life. I try to live according to what I say. I try to live my faith. I think most of us fit into that category. We are sinners who are trying. And then there are the hypocrites.

A dear friend died earlier this year from an absolutely horrible disease. Her husband grieves. I have tried to be a friend to him, as his late wife and children have urged me to do. But honestly it turns my stomach to hear him lament in one breath and not five minutes later speak of the lust he feels for another woman. How can he truly still be grief-stricken and yet be so determined to find someone else so soon?

I know he is lonely. He is retired and bored and wants a companion. I understand that. His late wife – of 42 years I might add – wouldn’t want him to spend the rest of his days alone. But whatever happened to respectful mourning?

He urges me to move forward in my own grieving process. I remind him that it is a process. One step forward, two steps back. Another day it is two steps forward and one back. I’m not sure he wants to grieve. He wants his life back and will fit anyone into the space. Perhaps he isn't truly a hypocrite, I tell myself. Maybe he's just desperately trying to mend a shattered heart with a band-aid called lust.

Whatever the motivation, I see disaster looming on the horizon. No one person can replace another. People are uniquely different. Failure to understand this basic fact can lead to much unhappiness. I’ve just seen it too many times.

Maybe part of my struggle with his words and action is the faith he proclaims. He bought a new Bible, one that will allow him to find the different books as we discuss them at church. He leaves it at church so he won’t have to carry it to and from home each week. He doesn’t open a Bible at home. He’s clear about that. He’s a believer, he says. But he doesn’t care to read or study God’s word.

My heart aches for what he is missing. I know that a true believer longs for God. I pray for him to be filled with the Spirit, to hunger for knowledge. He would rather coast to the finish line, secure in a salvation he claims.

He is a good man. He will be the first to tell you that. He is also a blind man who refuses to see beyond himself. He is not alone, of course. He has the time and resources to do good for others but he can’t see that. He wants it to be about him.

I find myself seeking distance, even though I know his adult children count on me to help carry the burden. But, honestly, I am tired and my own grief at times consumes me. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to walk this road. I don’t know if I even want to.

We are all a tumbled mass of flaws and desires. We are humans, sinners, telling ourselves we are living right even as we careen toward the unknown. It’s just so hard even when you try to follow Jesus with each step. It’s impossible when you don’t even try.

I hope he finds someone wonderful to share the remainder of his life with. But mostly I hope he finds Jesus in the midst of it all and comes to know that chasing after Him is the only way to truly live.

January 5, 2015

Hope In Jesus

 

In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."

-- Mark 7:25-29

Some seasons are just hard. You work and work and work. You dream and hope and you work some more. And nothing seems to change. Nothing. Things don't get worse but they don't get better either.

That's where the seeds of doubt are planted. Is this really where I'm supposed to be? Is this really what God has called me to do? Will God really make a way through this darkness?

I want to believe. I want to trust. But deep inside I am so aware that I don't deserve His help. I don't deserve His direction. I don't deserve His  love. And yet He gives freely to me.

I am so grateful. Always, so grateful. Even amid the doubts and indecision, I am thankful He is there. He hears my cries. I know He does. So where is He? I find myself looking desperately for just a word, a sign, some kind of movement that will reassure me that I'm on the right path.

Or not. Because He might close a door. But if He does, He'll open another path. I know that. Deep inside I know that. But some days it doesn't feel that way. Some days it seems as though I'm walking on a ledge, in danger of going over the side at any moment, and I'm not sure that He will catch me. Fear grips my soul and I struggle to push it down. He will catch me. I know He will. He promised and He always keeps His promises.

Faith. It's all about faith. Satan seeks to steal that from me. I refuse that path. I cry out. He is there. Always He is there.